Comments on: ESPN’s Calvin Watkins doubles down on his Yu Darvish nonsense. Also fails to understand how the DL works.http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/26/espns-calvin-watkins-doubles-down-on-his-yu-darvish-nonsense-also-fails-to-understand-how-the-dl-works/
Baseball. Baseball. And then a bit more baseball.Sun, 02 Aug 2015 21:35:16 +0000hourly1http://wordpress.com/By: pbastillehttp://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/26/espns-calvin-watkins-doubles-down-on-his-yu-darvish-nonsense-also-fails-to-understand-how-the-dl-works/comment-page-1/#comment-767186
Wed, 27 Aug 2014 16:14:14 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=535194#comment-767186ESPN is kinda like rehab games for writers coming off the DL
]]>By: cshearinghttp://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/26/espns-calvin-watkins-doubles-down-on-his-yu-darvish-nonsense-also-fails-to-understand-how-the-dl-works/comment-page-1/#comment-767051
Wed, 27 Aug 2014 12:48:52 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=535194#comment-767051It’s comments like this that make me happy I stopped reading comments on PFT.
]]>By: cshearinghttp://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/26/espns-calvin-watkins-doubles-down-on-his-yu-darvish-nonsense-also-fails-to-understand-how-the-dl-works/comment-page-1/#comment-767049
Wed, 27 Aug 2014 12:46:11 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=535194#comment-767049That was a great reply.
]]>By: kappy32http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/26/espns-calvin-watkins-doubles-down-on-his-yu-darvish-nonsense-also-fails-to-understand-how-the-dl-works/comment-page-1/#comment-767007
Wed, 27 Aug 2014 04:57:33 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=535194#comment-767007This guy is an idiot, but to me the onus falls on ESPN for allowing this guy to cover a team in a sport he clearly knows nothing about. This guy is obviously an NFL writer, your story said as much, and he is trying to bring an NFL mentality to the world of baseball: it’s not going to happen. Baseball is a sport where guys miss up to a month with a minor hamstring injury. With football, you have guys who break bones, get casted up, and return to the field in the same game as the injury took place. The reason for this difference isn’t that baseball players are weaker than football players, rather it is due to the length of a baseball season (162 games over 6 months) compared to the length of a football season (16 games over 17 weeks), and that isn’t taking into account spring training & training camp. A baseball player who suffers a nick early in the season needs the rest because it could become a season long issue that could hamper his performance & subsequently hurting the team on the field & in the standings. With football, a player who suffers a nick doesn’t have the time to rest because missing two weeks (similar to the 15-day DL) could significantly hurt the team. While you can’t win a Super Bowl in September, you can certainly take yourself out of the running for one, as my NY Giants showed last year after starting 0-6, only to finish out the year 7-3 & miss the playoffs.

The writer of this article is assuming that the MLB Disabled List (DL) is the same as the NFL Injured Reserve (IR). There is a HUGE difference between the two. As readers of this blog know, when you’re injured in baseball he gets placed on the DL for a stint of either 15 or 60 games, meaning he can’t return until the time runs out. On the other hand, when a football team places a player on the IR, that player’s season is over & he cannot return. There is 1 exception to that rule where the NFL instituted 1 “IR – Designated to Return” spot for each team. This was a hard fought issue in the last CBA negotiations & was a key issue in the NFL Lockout. There were times where a player would, say, break his arm week 1 & could feasibly return by week 12 at full strength. However, due to roster constraints on the 52-man roster, the team couldn’t carry an injured body for half the season & needed a healthy body to step on the field. Teams were forced to place the injured player on season-ending IR, ending the player’s season when it didn’t have to come to an end. Now, NFL teams are given that 1 IR-DTR spot, but still, they have to use it wisely because once a player is given that designation, the spot is lost regardless of whether he returns or not. The whole IR-DTR explanation is just me rambling on, hoping to enlighten someone who doesn’t know the rules of the NFL. Nevertheless, as I said above, it is obvious this writer doesn’t know the difference between the DL & the IR. In my opinion, the blame for that falls squarely on the shoulders of ESPN for not educating this guy on the difference between the two sports. Furthermore, it is beyond me how that clear confusion gets past an editor & he/she allows this guy to publish the article. Then again, it is ESPN. ESPN has long given up writing & reporting on sports news in favor of becoming Sports TMZ, or a televised version of Deadspin. This is just another example of how ESPN has fallen so far. I don’t understand how people still pay any mind to that entity.

]]>By: xbam1http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/26/espns-calvin-watkins-doubles-down-on-his-yu-darvish-nonsense-also-fails-to-understand-how-the-dl-works/comment-page-1/#comment-766973
Wed, 27 Aug 2014 02:29:14 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=535194#comment-766973its stories like this that make this site un-readable….if it wasnt linked to PFT i wouldnt give it one click…it would be pretty cool if they cleaned house and hired all new writers who werent such momma boys…
]]>By: scoutsaysweitersisabusthttp://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/26/espns-calvin-watkins-doubles-down-on-his-yu-darvish-nonsense-also-fails-to-understand-how-the-dl-works/comment-page-1/#comment-766915
Tue, 26 Aug 2014 22:13:02 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=535194#comment-766915Craig has made a career of going after terrible, reckless, irresponsible reporting, and this is no exception. I for one am glad he does, it’s one of the things that drew me to this site. Evey-one makes mistakes, but the media is becoming full of hyper-bowl reporters, shooting their mouths off, spouting outright lies, in a vague attempt to generate as much attention as possible, and ESPN is the world wide leader in that category. Keep up the good work Craig. Someone needs to shine a spotlight on these people and force them to take responsibility for their writing.
]]>By: deepstbluhttp://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/26/espns-calvin-watkins-doubles-down-on-his-yu-darvish-nonsense-also-fails-to-understand-how-the-dl-works/comment-page-1/#comment-766884
Tue, 26 Aug 2014 21:34:18 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=535194#comment-766884“Dear ESPN, everyone but you is over it.” That works for so many things, on so many occasions.
]]>By: SocraticGadflyhttp://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/26/espns-calvin-watkins-doubles-down-on-his-yu-darvish-nonsense-also-fails-to-understand-how-the-dl-works/comment-page-1/#comment-766871
Tue, 26 Aug 2014 21:10:56 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=535194#comment-766871PBT? Craig is writing about pro bowlling?

PBR? Craig’s getting hipster with a Blue Ribbon?

]]>By: historiophiliachttp://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/26/espns-calvin-watkins-doubles-down-on-his-yu-darvish-nonsense-also-fails-to-understand-how-the-dl-works/comment-page-1/#comment-766870
Tue, 26 Aug 2014 21:10:27 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=535194#comment-766870Hmmmm. Maybe my point was unclear? I was trying to suggest that so few “Rangers fans” would bother to read Watkins’ story that Craig probably gave him more readers in poking fun of him than he got on his own. I was attempting to insult “Baseball Town” there.
]]>By: SocraticGadflyhttp://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/26/espns-calvin-watkins-doubles-down-on-his-yu-darvish-nonsense-also-fails-to-understand-how-the-dl-works/comment-page-1/#comment-766869
Tue, 26 Aug 2014 21:09:11 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=535194#comment-766869He’s “playing golf in Idaho” with D.J. Johnson.
]]>By: SocraticGadflyhttp://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/26/espns-calvin-watkins-doubles-down-on-his-yu-darvish-nonsense-also-fails-to-understand-how-the-dl-works/comment-page-1/#comment-766866
Tue, 26 Aug 2014 21:08:01 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=535194#comment-766866I used to live in the Metromess myself; agreed totally on Watkins.
]]>By: 18thstreethttp://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/26/espns-calvin-watkins-doubles-down-on-his-yu-darvish-nonsense-also-fails-to-understand-how-the-dl-works/comment-page-1/#comment-766863
Tue, 26 Aug 2014 21:05:05 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=535194#comment-766863Do you really believe that? I mean, the headline is essentially, “This piece is stupid.” Seems unlikely to generate a lot of traffic.
]]>By: SocraticGadflyhttp://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/26/espns-calvin-watkins-doubles-down-on-his-yu-darvish-nonsense-also-fails-to-understand-how-the-dl-works/comment-page-1/#comment-766839
Tue, 26 Aug 2014 20:36:38 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=535194#comment-766839This is the 544th article Craig has written this year dissing another writer.

Does that help either @floodoobious or @craigcalcaterra? :)

]]>By: El Bravohttp://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/26/espns-calvin-watkins-doubles-down-on-his-yu-darvish-nonsense-also-fails-to-understand-how-the-dl-works/comment-page-1/#comment-766819
Tue, 26 Aug 2014 19:59:42 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=535194#comment-766819No word. He’s still on a forced LOA as far as I know.
]]>By: Wesley Clarkhttp://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/26/espns-calvin-watkins-doubles-down-on-his-yu-darvish-nonsense-also-fails-to-understand-how-the-dl-works/comment-page-1/#comment-766818
Tue, 26 Aug 2014 19:57:39 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=535194#comment-766818Has word ever come down that he is 100% done at the MLB Network? Last I heard he was just suspended/leave of absence.
]]>By: Wesley Clarkhttp://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/26/espns-calvin-watkins-doubles-down-on-his-yu-darvish-nonsense-also-fails-to-understand-how-the-dl-works/comment-page-1/#comment-766815
Tue, 26 Aug 2014 19:55:56 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=535194#comment-766815I fully agree with the best talent being on the MLB Network and not on ESPN. I don’t have the foggiest about their NFL coverage (don’t follow and don’t care about the NFL).
]]>By: pete2112http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/26/espns-calvin-watkins-doubles-down-on-his-yu-darvish-nonsense-also-fails-to-understand-how-the-dl-works/comment-page-1/#comment-766814
Tue, 26 Aug 2014 19:55:12 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=535194#comment-766814I agree. I was watching SportsCenter last night and it made realize how far they’ve fallen. I remember the days in the early 90’s when they actually had a small core of people you counted on to give you news daily that wasn’t skewed to their own network and it wasn’t this big fancy set with over the top graphics. It’s gotten too big and over produced. Give me Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann back.
]]>By: El Bravohttp://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/26/espns-calvin-watkins-doubles-down-on-his-yu-darvish-nonsense-also-fails-to-understand-how-the-dl-works/comment-page-1/#comment-766810
Tue, 26 Aug 2014 19:50:31 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=535194#comment-766810If Craig didn’t tear into Rob Dibble for doing the same thing to Strasburger a few years back, I would have never had the opportunity to classify that guy as a total douchenozzle. Craig Calcaterra: the tried and true douchenozzle locator.

PS. Strasburger had season-ending surgery and Dibbs lost his job. Maybe history will repeat itself (although I sincerely hope Yu has avoided any need for surgery).

]]>By: El Bravohttp://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/26/espns-calvin-watkins-doubles-down-on-his-yu-darvish-nonsense-also-fails-to-understand-how-the-dl-works/comment-page-1/#comment-766805
Tue, 26 Aug 2014 19:45:13 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=535194#comment-766805Maybe they can hire Mitch Williams.
]]>By: El Bravohttp://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/26/espns-calvin-watkins-doubles-down-on-his-yu-darvish-nonsense-also-fails-to-understand-how-the-dl-works/comment-page-1/#comment-766804
Tue, 26 Aug 2014 19:44:35 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=535194#comment-766804AHAHAH! I laughed. Nice one.
]]>By: Wesley Clarkhttp://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/26/espns-calvin-watkins-doubles-down-on-his-yu-darvish-nonsense-also-fails-to-understand-how-the-dl-works/comment-page-1/#comment-766803
Tue, 26 Aug 2014 19:44:12 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=535194#comment-766803Like Edwin Jackson’s “Lat strain”. Wink, Wink.
]]>By: thatsnuckinfutshttp://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/26/espns-calvin-watkins-doubles-down-on-his-yu-darvish-nonsense-also-fails-to-understand-how-the-dl-works/comment-page-1/#comment-766802
Tue, 26 Aug 2014 19:41:11 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=535194#comment-766802Calvin Watkins will be part of the BBWAA and helping decide MVP’s, Cy Youngs and who goes to the HoF in 2 years.
]]>By: tedwmoorehttp://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/26/espns-calvin-watkins-doubles-down-on-his-yu-darvish-nonsense-also-fails-to-understand-how-the-dl-works/comment-page-1/#comment-766801
Tue, 26 Aug 2014 19:40:38 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=535194#comment-766801Calling players soft for choosing to not play through potentially career altering injuries is a fun new trend in baseball reporting. Last season one of the columnists here in Minneapolis called Joe Mauer a sissy for not playing while concussed. It was charming: He actually used the word sissy. I believe similar charges have been laid at Mauer’s feet every time he visits the DL, including the year of his weird bi-lateral leg weakness, or whatever, which pretty much all evidence suggests was the result of the team pushing him to rehab too early. Class acts in the media, class acts. Why someone would criticize Craig, or anyone else, for calling these guys clowns is beyond me; counter speech is always a good thing when faced with silliness like this.
]]>By: chip56http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/26/espns-calvin-watkins-doubles-down-on-his-yu-darvish-nonsense-also-fails-to-understand-how-the-dl-works/comment-page-1/#comment-766796
Tue, 26 Aug 2014 19:36:08 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=535194#comment-766796As proof of what I just said above about ESPN – this just came into my Twitter feed: http://awfulannouncing.com/2014/sportscenter-is-reporting-on-michael-sams-showering-habits.html
]]>By: asimonetti88http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/26/espns-calvin-watkins-doubles-down-on-his-yu-darvish-nonsense-also-fails-to-understand-how-the-dl-works/comment-page-1/#comment-766795
Tue, 26 Aug 2014 19:36:04 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=535194#comment-766795As a big NFL fan, Watkins article is clearly written from a football centric perspective. Playing through pain is part of football for the most part… but in baseball, his suggestions are incredibly stupid. Darvish could suffer a long-term injury by playing through the pain… If there were an open forum for giving feedback to Watkins, it is the equivalent of suggesting Tony Romo play through a shoulder injury… it risks permanent damage to your most valuable property’s most valuable asset…

In all honesty, the criticism should lay on ESPN (surprise) more than Watkins… Watkins is just writing the articles he’s asked to write… ESPN should know better than to have a football guy writing baseball articles… but hiring another real writer would take away from their ability to throw money at more washed up former athletes like Ray Lewis, Tim Tebow and Jalen Rose to spew incoherent BS on the airwaves.

]]>By: chip56http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/26/espns-calvin-watkins-doubles-down-on-his-yu-darvish-nonsense-also-fails-to-understand-how-the-dl-works/comment-page-1/#comment-766793
Tue, 26 Aug 2014 19:34:16 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=535194#comment-766793I’ve said it before and I will say it again: ESPN is to sports what MTV is to music videos. They only cover the sports that air on their network and have lost the best analysts to other outlets like MLB and NFL networks and CBS and FoxSports – they’re a hot mess and their people just keep embarrassing themselves
]]>By: Jack Glasscock's Cuphttp://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/26/espns-calvin-watkins-doubles-down-on-his-yu-darvish-nonsense-also-fails-to-understand-how-the-dl-works/comment-page-1/#comment-766779
Tue, 26 Aug 2014 18:58:55 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=535194#comment-766779boo! Boo!
]]>By: pete2112http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/26/espns-calvin-watkins-doubles-down-on-his-yu-darvish-nonsense-also-fails-to-understand-how-the-dl-works/comment-page-1/#comment-766778
Tue, 26 Aug 2014 18:58:42 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=535194#comment-766778I knew about this, but it’s not calling out the organization when he continuously blames the understaffed grounds crew. You do realize calling out someone is more than a story blaming it on Obama care? What else do you have?